The Shack

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   habeeposted 13 years ago

   Has anyone here read The Shack? A friend was telling me about it last night, and it sounds fascinating.

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      Gillian Tynanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I read it last year, poorly written, but engaging. I suppose it meets the need of those eager to hear directly what God has to say.

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      thetruthhurts2009posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Stay out of the Shack!.

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         Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         LOL
         I bet that's a parody of another thread; Now that's funny, I don' care who ya are!

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      Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't read it,  but a friend of mine whose opinion I trust says it veers away from what the Bible says, and is very misleading.

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         megs78posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         The Bible is misleading...in my opinion

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            Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            How so?

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               megs78posted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Well, when you look at the 10 commandments, almost all of them are broken in the Bible, and they are broken by men appointed by God as 'blessed'.  The Old Testament is full of discrimination, incest, murder, angels having sex with humans...etc, etc, etc. Have you tried to read the Old Testament?  Most people skip right to the New Testament and start with Psalms with all its poetic verse. 
               
               The Bible is misleading because it is so full of contradictions.  One cant forget that this is a story written by humans.
               
               Having said that, the Bible is also full of amazing stories that inspire and can make you feel happy and full of life.  But we shouldn't take it literally because when that happens, we get a lot of bigotry and war.  Just wait, I'm going to post something funny, but I gotta find it first.

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                  thetruthhurts2009posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Where are these contradiction you speak of? Please point out 1 in context historical and biblical.
                  
                  The 10 commandments are a mirror to show us we all fall short. And need a Saviour, Jesus Christ.
                  
                  I find it funny that you bring up the fact that the writers(inspired by God) admitted there shortcomings no matter how embarrassing, that's a testimony to it's authenticity. The old Testament shows that God does not tolerate sin, Sin=death. Jesus is Lord the final sacrifice for the sins of men that's why Jews don't even sacrifice, even though they deny Jesus.
                  
                  I write for misinformed people like yourself who continue to perpetuate this convoluted defamation of God's Word.
                  
                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rssTt9aavuM
                  
                  http://hubpages.com/hub/Answers-for-tho … ont-get-it
                  
                  http://hubpages.com/hub/Can-You-Handle- … uth-of-God

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                     megs78posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     Hey, whoa!  Calm down!  I'm not looking for a fight.  Go find someone else to yell at.

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                        thetruthhurts2009posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Whose yelling? You're spreading a falsehood as truth, I'm clearing it up. No worries, I hate no one.

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                           Scott.Lifeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           But did you like the book, I think that was the question oh crusader for truth.

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                              thetruthhurts2009posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              I should apologize, I try not reciprocate name-calling with more name-calling and there is no excuse on my end, I'm fallible and I'm sorry.

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                     Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     Avoid ye the false prophet trolls!

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      loriamooreposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Habee,
      
      Yes, I read The Shack last year on the flight home from a mission trip to Kenya.  I had already heard the scuttlebutt about it not being biblically correct, but I knew it was written as fiction and to not take it too literally.
      
      I honestly couldn't put it down once I started reading it.  I was eager to find out how it was going to end.
      
      And, as a Christian, even though it was fiction, it did help me with some understanding of some things --- particularly about how The Trinity works.
      
      Lori

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   gracenotesposted 13 years ago

   From what I've heard, it's really poorly written.  For that reason, I don't want to waste my time on it.
   
   However, the backstory of the author, and his reasons for writing the book, are interesting.  The author was featured in a recent issue of Guideposts that my mom had on her coffee table when I last visited her.

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   Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years ago

   Read about half of it; right up to the point that God appears to the protagonist as Aunt Jemimah. 
   
   Very poorly written.

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      blue dogposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      ditto.

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   megs78posted 13 years ago

   I didn't find it that poorly written myself.  It was a difficult read and hurt the heart immensely, but it was good to read.  It felt good to read it.  It's every parents nightmare, and the way he gets through it is extraordinary.  Sometimes its difficult to follow whats really going on, but as I recall, the Foreword explains the reason for that so I was prepared.  Apparently, he had a hard time putting his thoughts into words at times.
   
   I recommend it.  Read it and see for yourself.  Its short and won't take too up too much of your life if you don't like it.

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   cosetteposted 13 years ago

   i read it and didn't like it. the trinity thing was almost silly, IMO. there were some good parts though but i still didn't get my questions answered about why God permits evil...

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      DogSiDaedposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I could answer that... in four words.

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         DogSiDaedposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         In fact to be completely exact, make it six.

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   Scott.Lifeposted 13 years ago

   I read it and thought it was entertaining. Of course I wasn't reading it as a literary critic though so I guess my view is skewed. It's an interesting version of an old belief system and a good story in the end. I read it in one sitting and still have it on the shelf.Funny thing is for all those I see on hubpages running it down it still manages to be a best seller go figure.
   
   It's a story, not an explanation of faith and the Bible. The attitude you have going in will effect how you feel about it. Look at it as a short little piece of fiction and you will read it fast.

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      Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      McDonald's sells lots of burgers.  Same phenomenon.

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   Crazdwriterposted 13 years ago

   I've seen it, I've heard about it, but no never read it

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   mistywildposted 13 years ago

   it's amazing, I did a review on it.

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      Hauntyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Did you do it on hp?

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         mistywildposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         sure did

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            Hauntyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Grrr... ok. No need to mention the title. Really. I can find it.

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   megs78posted 13 years ago

   Read this, its pretty funny and just goes to show why taking the Bible literally could be a big mistake:
   
   Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a US radio personality who dispenses advice to
   people who call in to her radio show.  Recently, she said that, as an
   observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to
   Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The 
   following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a US resident, Jim, which 
   was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:
   
   Dear Dr. Laura:
   
   Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have
   learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as
   many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle,
   for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to
   be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however,
   regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them.
   
   1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
   pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev.1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They
   claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
   
   2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus
   21:7.  In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
   
   3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
   period of menstrual cleanliness (Lev.15:19-24). The problem is, how do I
   tell?  I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
   
   4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female,
   provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine
   claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify?
   Why can't I own Canadians?
   
   5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.  Exodus clearly
   states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
   
   6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
   abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.  I
   don't agree. Can you settle this?
   
   7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a
   defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my
   vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
   
   8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around
   their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How
   should they die?
   
   9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me
   unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
   
   10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different
   crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two
   different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse
   and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of
   getting the whole town together to stone them?  (Lev.24:10-16). Couldn't we
   just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people
   who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
   
   I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can
   help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and
   unchanging.
   
   Your devoted fan,
   Jim

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      Leta Sposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hahahahaha!

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         megs78posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Its pretty good right? 

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    habeeposted 13 years ago

    Wow, I appreciate all the responses to my query. Since it's a short read, I think I'll give it a try.

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       mistywildposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       grab a hanky!! did you read my review?

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    frogdroppingposted 13 years ago

    Come on guys - it's just a book (one that I've read) and as a piece of fiction, it does it's job. It's got a beginning, a middle and an end and worth the read.
    
    Just because it's related to religion doesn't mean this has to descend into a 'Well God said so and so' and 'Ohhhh no he didn't'.
    
    Habee simply asked for an opinion, not a literary review of the contents. A simple 'yes, it's quite good/great/interesting or no it's rubbish/boring/dreadful would have sufficed.
    
    Habee, if you haven't already started on it, do so. You can then decide on whether you'd pass it onto another

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